Interurban, Rail & Elevated Rail
Streetcar Gallery below
In the early 1900′s the Louisville area had nearly 100 steam and electric commuter rail stations. There were over three miles of elevated rail lines downtown, some over 50' in height. The Big Four Bridge elevated approach line had an elevated station 60 ft. in the air, dubbed "Sky Station". All manner of trains - steam, electric, diesel, passenger, freight, and local passenger commuter ran atop these elevated lines.
The first Interurban line opened in 1901 to LaGrange. The next lines, one to Jeffersontown and the other to Prospect opened in 1904. Subsequent routes were built to Okolona (1905), Orell (1907), and Fern Creek (1908). The lines paralleled the existing roadways. These electric interurban commuter trains ran till around 1946.
One elevated electric train system was the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company’s original 5 1/2 mi. elevated line from Louisville to New Albany. A small traction line extended it to Silver Hills. In Louisville the elevated segment was 15 blocks long with three elevated stations, stretching primarily along the riverfront wharf area. The trains were three cars or longer, not trolleys. It was originally steam powered and known as the Daisy Line. The passenger cars were painted yellow with brown trimming, resembling a black-eyed Susan, hence the name Daisy Line. In 1893 this passenger line was electrified, one of the first in the United States. About 1908 the Louisville Railway obtained the passenger service and incorporated it into their streetcar system.
Pennsylvania RR also operated commuter rail for many years, serving a loop from New Albany to Jeffersonville to Louisville over the 14th street bridge, It ran from about 1870 to 1921 and remained steam only, never modernized to electric. Those trains ran from early am to late pm, continuously, making the entire loop about every 25 minutes. K&I's bridge trains, aka "Daisy" lines were in head on competition for ridership, with the Pennsy "Dinky" commuter trains.
Another commuter line was the 16 car B&O Commuter trains serving the Indiana Army Ordinance plant in Charlestown. The WWII train served three different shifts, as the plant operated around-the-clock.
See more here - http://www.city-data.com/forum/louisville-area/764540-original-central-station-info-2.html
And here - http://www.urbanophile.com/2008/06/08/louisvilles-elevated-electric-rail-system/
The first Interurban line opened in 1901 to LaGrange. The next lines, one to Jeffersontown and the other to Prospect opened in 1904. Subsequent routes were built to Okolona (1905), Orell (1907), and Fern Creek (1908). The lines paralleled the existing roadways. These electric interurban commuter trains ran till around 1946.
One elevated electric train system was the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company’s original 5 1/2 mi. elevated line from Louisville to New Albany. A small traction line extended it to Silver Hills. In Louisville the elevated segment was 15 blocks long with three elevated stations, stretching primarily along the riverfront wharf area. The trains were three cars or longer, not trolleys. It was originally steam powered and known as the Daisy Line. The passenger cars were painted yellow with brown trimming, resembling a black-eyed Susan, hence the name Daisy Line. In 1893 this passenger line was electrified, one of the first in the United States. About 1908 the Louisville Railway obtained the passenger service and incorporated it into their streetcar system.
Pennsylvania RR also operated commuter rail for many years, serving a loop from New Albany to Jeffersonville to Louisville over the 14th street bridge, It ran from about 1870 to 1921 and remained steam only, never modernized to electric. Those trains ran from early am to late pm, continuously, making the entire loop about every 25 minutes. K&I's bridge trains, aka "Daisy" lines were in head on competition for ridership, with the Pennsy "Dinky" commuter trains.
Another commuter line was the 16 car B&O Commuter trains serving the Indiana Army Ordinance plant in Charlestown. The WWII train served three different shifts, as the plant operated around-the-clock.
See more here - http://www.city-data.com/forum/louisville-area/764540-original-central-station-info-2.html
And here - http://www.urbanophile.com/2008/06/08/louisvilles-elevated-electric-rail-system/
The article below about the K & I Electric service between Louisville and New Albany was from the Internet Archive.
From the Internet Archives, "The Street Railway Review" (1895)
Page 463
ELECTRICITY ON THE LOUISVILLE BRIDGE.
We have been taken to task for the statement in our July issue that the Nantucket Beach road was the first standard steam road to adopt electricity as a motive power. While we believe it is true that it was the first steam road to adopt electricity for its entire traffic we are reminded by George MacLeod, superintendent of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company that his road adopted electricity for its suburban passenger traffic, August 25, 1893, and has been so operating ever since. Steam is still used for the freight service. Prior to the date mentioned suburban trains were run by steam on a thirty minute headway. It was rightly decided that by substituting electricity for steam a more frequent service could be given and with a correspondingly increased travel the cost would be reduced per passenger mile. Electric suburban trains are now run every fifteen minutes between the two cities.
The Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company’s tracks extend from First street in Louisville to Vincennes street. New Albany a distance of 4.11 miles. The river is crossed on the company’s own bridge which is located at the foot of Thirty-second street, Louisville. The bridge with approaches is a mile in length. The bridge proper is of cantilever design and is 2,453 feet long, having seven spans, of which the longest is 483 feet. The draw span over the Indiana channel is 370 feet. This bridge carries a single track railroad and has a wagon way on each side of the railroad.
Besides this the Company controls and operates the Louisville Belt Line, New Albany Belt & Terminal Railway, and the New Albany Railway. The latter is an electric street railway connecting with the suburban trains of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company. Of the 4.11 miles of track used by the suburban trains 2.11 miles is doubled tracked. The remainder comprises the bridge, approaches, and a viaduct, and is single track. The electric trains have to run between the freight and passenger trains of the B. & O. S.W. Railroad and Southern Railway and the switch engines of the bridge company which transfer freight between factories and railroads in New Albany. The electric cars are operated on a regular time card just as the steam trains. The road is operated on a block system. There are ten stations on the line and the schedule time for the 4.11 miles is seventeen minutes. The cars are 28 feet inside measurement, and the motor cars are vestibuled at both ends, and have two W. P. 50 motors.
During the two years that the electric cars have been running there has never been an accident and only once has an electric train been off the track.
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Page 547
KENTUCKY AND INDIANA BRIDGE TRAFFIC.
Last month we gave an account of the interurban business of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company between Louisville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana. The electric trains are run in the intervals between the freight and through passenger trains. We show here with some views along the line, which arrived too late for our July issue. The bridge and approaches are single track and the balance of the interurban route is double track. The total length is 4.11 miles. An average of 270 trains a day are run, of which 141 are electric. The electric interurban trains connect with the New Albany Railway, controlled by the same company.
2 photos from article are below.
Page 463
ELECTRICITY ON THE LOUISVILLE BRIDGE.
We have been taken to task for the statement in our July issue that the Nantucket Beach road was the first standard steam road to adopt electricity as a motive power. While we believe it is true that it was the first steam road to adopt electricity for its entire traffic we are reminded by George MacLeod, superintendent of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company that his road adopted electricity for its suburban passenger traffic, August 25, 1893, and has been so operating ever since. Steam is still used for the freight service. Prior to the date mentioned suburban trains were run by steam on a thirty minute headway. It was rightly decided that by substituting electricity for steam a more frequent service could be given and with a correspondingly increased travel the cost would be reduced per passenger mile. Electric suburban trains are now run every fifteen minutes between the two cities.
The Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company’s tracks extend from First street in Louisville to Vincennes street. New Albany a distance of 4.11 miles. The river is crossed on the company’s own bridge which is located at the foot of Thirty-second street, Louisville. The bridge with approaches is a mile in length. The bridge proper is of cantilever design and is 2,453 feet long, having seven spans, of which the longest is 483 feet. The draw span over the Indiana channel is 370 feet. This bridge carries a single track railroad and has a wagon way on each side of the railroad.
Besides this the Company controls and operates the Louisville Belt Line, New Albany Belt & Terminal Railway, and the New Albany Railway. The latter is an electric street railway connecting with the suburban trains of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company. Of the 4.11 miles of track used by the suburban trains 2.11 miles is doubled tracked. The remainder comprises the bridge, approaches, and a viaduct, and is single track. The electric trains have to run between the freight and passenger trains of the B. & O. S.W. Railroad and Southern Railway and the switch engines of the bridge company which transfer freight between factories and railroads in New Albany. The electric cars are operated on a regular time card just as the steam trains. The road is operated on a block system. There are ten stations on the line and the schedule time for the 4.11 miles is seventeen minutes. The cars are 28 feet inside measurement, and the motor cars are vestibuled at both ends, and have two W. P. 50 motors.
During the two years that the electric cars have been running there has never been an accident and only once has an electric train been off the track.
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Page 547
KENTUCKY AND INDIANA BRIDGE TRAFFIC.
Last month we gave an account of the interurban business of the Kentucky & Indiana Bridge Company between Louisville, Kentucky and New Albany, Indiana. The electric trains are run in the intervals between the freight and through passenger trains. We show here with some views along the line, which arrived too late for our July issue. The bridge and approaches are single track and the balance of the interurban route is double track. The total length is 4.11 miles. An average of 270 trains a day are run, of which 141 are electric. The electric interurban trains connect with the New Albany Railway, controlled by the same company.
2 photos from article are below.
Hover over image to see caption. Click for larger image and a manual slide show with captions. Keyboard arrows can be used
Streetcars (Electric Trolleys)
Timeline
Louisville’s streetcar system started with mule-drawn cars toward the end of the Civil War. By 1890, most of the cars were electric and run by the Louisville Railway Company. At its peak, the company operated more than 500 cars. Streetcar lines crossed the city, connecting with the interurban lines that stretched to suburbs like Orell, Okolona, Jeffersontown, Prospect and even to Shelbyville.
Louisville’s streetcar system started with mule-drawn cars toward the end of the Civil War. By 1890, most of the cars were electric and run by the Louisville Railway Company. At its peak, the company operated more than 500 cars. Streetcar lines crossed the city, connecting with the interurban lines that stretched to suburbs like Orell, Okolona, Jeffersontown, Prospect and even to Shelbyville.
Louisville
1889 - First streetcar (electric trolleycar) line opens. 1904 - First interurban line opens. 1935 - All interurban lines had been abandoned. 1936 - First trolleybus (electric trolleybus) route opens. 1948 - Last streetcars replaced with buses. 1951 - Electric trolleybuses discontinued. |
New Albany and Jeffersonville
1888 - First streetcar service in Jeffersonville. 1891 - First streetcar service in New Albany. 1893 - Kentucky & Indiana electrifies trackage on their bridge and introduces multiple unit electric train interurban service (Daisy Line) between Louisville and New Albany 1903 - Interurban service begins between Jeffersonville and New Albany. 1903 - Interurban service begins between Louisville and Jeffersonville via the Big 4 Bridge. 1929 - First highway bridge across Ohio River to Jeffersonville completed. Soon after the local streetcar service across Big 4 Bridge was discontinued. 1932 - Local streetcar service in Jeffersonville and New Albany replaced with buses. 1946 - New Albany (Daisy Line) replaces streetcars with buses. |